Brian Braddock (Earth-8876)
Brian Braddock is a mystically-imbued individual given the mantle of Captain Britain. History Brian and his twin sister, Betsy, were born to Lord James and Lady Elizabeth Braddock in 1990. However, he was primarily raised by his older brother, Jamie, as his parents were constantly busy at the Darkmoor Research Centre, a scientific organisation they had founded. When Brian was 10 years old, he was left orphaned when an explosion at the research centre killed both of his parents. Jamie continued to raise Brian and Betsy, but disappeared without a trace shortly after they turned 18. Betsy left not much longer later to pursue a career in modelling, while Brian sought a scientific career. This culminated in Brian starting work at the Darkmoor Research Centre when he was 23. The New Legend After 5 years of working at the Darkmoor Research Centre, Brian was present when a group of people calling themselves the Reavers took Dr Travis hostage and stole a hard drive containing back-ups of some of the centre's research before fleeing in a van. Brian chased after the van on his motorcycle, and used a metal rod to violently puncture one of the van's tyres, causing it to crash. One of the Reaver's was able to hit Brian's motorcycle with a bullet, causing him to crash too. However, unlike the truck which simply swerved off the road and hit a fence, Brian was flung along the road at immense speed, killing him. Strangely, Brian woke up moments later, except he was most definitely not in South West England anymore. He found himself atop a large hill, looking over at a giant, floating, golden structure reminiscent of a castle. A man appeared beside him and introduced himself as Merlyn. Although disbelieving and thinking himself to be dreaming in a coma, he listened to Merlyn explain the 'Captain Britain Legacy' to him, and eventually asked why he was being told about it. Merlyn stated that his act of heroism in trying to rescue Dr Travis had shown he had a good heart, and he was to be the next Captain Britain. Brian told Merlyn that even though he was pretty sure it was all just a dream, if he could be shown proof when he woke up, then he'd agree to be the next Captain Britain. Merlyn told Brian that it might take some time for him to wake up, as he'd died in the crash, and the magic that was bringing him back to life would take some time, and unfortunately he would have to be in the Sea of Souls when his body healed so that he could return to it. He told Brian to "think about being Captain Britain" when he returned and teleported Brian to the Sea of Souls. Brian spent what felt like days in the teal-coloured waters of the Sea of Souls, in a perpetual state of feeling like he's suffocating before he felt a rush of water around him and took his first breath back in his own body on Earth. He found himself in a hospital bed, seemingly having been found after the crash and rushed there, and did as Merlyn told him, and thought about himself being Captain Britain, even though he didn't quite know what that meant. To his surprise, an almost skin-tight uniform wrapped around him from nowhere, with a Union Jack motif. Hearing someone approaching the room he was in, he fled to the window, not wanting anyone to see him, and after realising he was three storeys up remembered Merlyn had mentioned he would be able to fly. Given the uniform that had appeared on him, he had confidence he'd be able to fly too, and leapt out of the window, proving his trust was well-placed. Returning home to Braddock Manor, Brian used his laptop to find out news about Dr Travis. He found out that not only had he been gone for two days, but Hugo was still missing, with the last sighting of the Reavers being after the crash, when they had fled on foot into a nearby shot. Brian flew to the forest, and felt something strange drawing him in. He followed the gut feeling and came to the other side of the forest, where he found an abandoned school. He flew to a window and climbed inside a room containing a large metal box, which he realised was the source of the strange feeling and opened. Inside was a golden sceptre with strange, otherworldly markings on it, that seemed to faintly glow as Brian picked it up. Although he couldn't explain how he knew it was called the Star Sceptre, he did, and it felt right to him. A guard stood outside the door realised that someone was there and ran into the room. He wore armour styled to look like that of a knight, but obviously being high-tech in nature. One punch sent Brian slamming into a wall, and winding him. Although confused why he didn't have the strength Merlyn had promised, he chose to have faith that it would kick in, unaware that his powers were confidence-based and by having faith he had gained the strength. He attacked the Reaver, and in a series of blows damaged his armour, leaving him immobilised. Brian then made his way through the building, looking for Dr Travis and fighting several Reavers along the way. Despite his immense strength, he was still in great pain, but continued to fight in order to get to Travis. He eventually found his mentor, being forced to work in a makeshift prison. Brian and Hugo then escaped the facility, with no sign of the Reaver's leader that Hugo was so afraid of. They escaped to Braddock Manor, where Hugo told Brian that they were planning on handing him over to someone, along with the Star Sceptre Brian now held. According to the Reavers, it had fallen out of the sky and they had stolen it upon hearing rumours of it being magic. Brian explained what happened to him, and that it's apparent that magic is real, and after some hesitation Hugo accepted that it must be the case. Later that day, Braddock Manor was surrounded by Reavers. They had placed a tracking device on Hugo without his realising and found his location. Brian manifested his Captain Britain uniform and faced the Reavers. After taking down a few of them, their leader, Joshua Stragg, stepped forward, demanding that Hugo be handed over. Brian refused, and punched Joshua, leading to a large brawl between the two. His armour was much stronger than that of the other Reavers, making for a difficult battle for Brian. Eventually, Joshua's armour was broken, leaving him powerless. Although he had no intentions of killing Joshua, he threatened him to get answers, finding out that they'd kidnapped Hugo Travis and stolen the hard drive and Star Sceptre because they were paid by someone to do so. Most of the other Reavers ran off, and the others Brian quickly punched down. He then called the police to report what happened, but was surprised when a large truck arrived with military personnel instead. The remaining Reavers were gathered together by the men in black uniforms, handcuffed and put in the truck. Brian was handed the business card of a man named Pete Wisdom, and told that they'd been given a warning that a new Captain Britain would appear and asked him to call the number on the card. Going back inside to see if Hugo was alright, he pointed out that it was strange that he was chosen to be Captain Britain the same day his mentor was kidnapped by the same people who had stolen the Star Sceptre, which had a strange connection to him. Captain Britain Meets MI-13 Powers & Abilities Superhuman Strength: Brian can lift up to about 80 tons, although above 40 tons puts a lot of strain on his body and tires him out quickly. Superhuman Stamina: Due to the mystical energies in his body, Brian doesn't tire the same way a regular human does. He could theoretically exercise for days on end without becoming exhausted. The exception is when using the upper levels of his other powers, which can cause a lot of strain. Superhuman Durability: When Brian is in danger, he subconsciously generates a forcefield around his body, invisible to the human eye and hovering only nanometers away from his skin. This means he can take immense amounts of force against his body before he starts getting physically injured. Superhuman Senses: By connecting his own inner mystical energies with those in the surrounding environment, he can sense things he otherwise wouldn't be able to. Weakness * Brian's powers are linked to his confidence and willpower. The stronger they are, the stronger his powers are. However, when he begins to doubt himself, his powers weaken. Paraphernalia * Captain Britain Uniform: A suit that manifests at Brian's command. It enhances his already imbued mystical abilities and gives him the additional power of flight. * Star Sceptre: A magical sceptre given to Brian by Merlyn, which allows Brian to create force fields. Unlike the forcefield Brian subconsciously generates around himself, those created by the Star Sceptre are impenetrable. Trivia * His middle name is 'Brendan'. ** He thinks his parents thought they were being funny when they named him "Brian Brendan Braddock" Category:Heroes Category:Earth-8876 Category:Males Category:Versions of Captain Britain Category:Super Strength Category:Super Senses Category:Super Stamina Category:Super Durability Category:Force Field Generation Category:Magic Allows Powers Category:Formerly Deceased Category:Heterosexual Characters Category:Single Characters Category:Created by Jacques the Worthy